'Heck of a mayor' Glenn Ritchey bids farewell to Daytona City Hall

Wednesday

Nov 14, 2012 at 12:01 AM

Wednesday night's City Commission meeting marks the end of Glenn Ritchey's six-year run as mayor, a job he "never dreamed" of having.

EILEEN ZAFFIRO-KEANSTAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH — About 50 years ago, a tall 20-something guy who spoke with a Kentucky twang and dreamed of making it big with his guitar drifted into Daytona Beach for a gig at an oceanside hotel. Driving on the sand, the sunshine, kitschy motels, deep sea fishing, the Ferris wheel on the Boardwalk — it all enchanted Glenn Ritchey and pulled him back to Daytona Beach for a permanent stay a few years later. If it had played out differently — and the town becoming known for race cars and motorcycles had turned off Ritchey — the city and a lot of local boards would not have seen a mayor and a leader with such tireless dedication, wit and heart. Wednesday night's City Commission meeting marks the end of Ritchey's six-year run as mayor, a job he "never dreamed" of having. If he had chosen another place to put down roots, or passed up the chance to lead the city, Daytona Beach would be a different place. Without Ritchey at the negotiating table, Joe's Crab Shack probably never would have opened on the Daytona Beach Pier. Thousands of poverty-stricken kids never would have received free school supplies, dozens of little boys wouldn't be playing Pop Warner league football this fall without his financial help, and neighborhoods around Nova Road would still get swallowed by floodwater from time to time if he hadn't donated land for retention ponds. And someone else would have been sitting in the mayor's chair, someone who might not have had the skill to fly the city above turbulent economic storms and land in a better place than Daytona Beach has been in decades. "We as a community are deeply grateful for what Mayor Glenn Ritchey has accomplished for the city of Daytona Beach," said Mori Hosseini, chairman and CEO of ICI Homes. "Daytona Beach is a better place due to Glenn's time and devotion to our entire area. His service and leadership have pointed Daytona Beach in the right direction for the future and he leaves us looking ahead with great optimism for continued successful growth." Ritchey decided more than a year ago he was ready to end his time as an elected official, and his name was not on the ballot for mayor last week. A majority of voters chose Derrick Henry to be the city's next mayor, and on Wednesday night Henry will be sworn in. As Ritchey prepares to pick up the gavel in City Hall one last time, people throughout the community have been heaping praise upon him. "I believe he's probably the best mayor we've had in Daytona Beach," said John Johnson, president and CEO of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "He's a wonderful man, he's used very good judgment, he's a good listener and he genuinely cares about all the people. You put that all together and you get a heck of a mayor." County Manager Jim Dinneen said Ritchey "paid it forward." "He didn't do it for him," Dinneen said. "He didn't need any of it, the power or public acceptance. He already had that." Dinneen also said many of the seeds Ritchey planted, despite the bad economy, will blossom for the city in the future. "He is in a word the quintessential epitome of what Daytona Beach is all about," said Kent Sharples, president of the CEO Business Alliance and the former president of Daytona State College. "I'll miss having him as mayor." Last week, Ritchey was honored at a small get-together at the home of Lesa France Kennedy, chief executive officer for International Speedway Corp. Ritchey, president and CEO of one of the nation's most successful automobile empires, was toasted by some of the area's top professionals. It was a galaxy away from where he started in 1940s Kentucky. Ritchey was raised by a grandmother whose wallet could have used more cash, and by high school he was more interested in sports and getting a job than getting his diploma. "My beginnings were below humble," the 72-year-old Ritchey said. "I've been in a house with no electricity because the power bill wasn't paid." As a teenager, he said his goal was to make $1,000 per month someday. His grandmother did the best she could, and Ritchey took refuge in after-school programs and sports leagues like Pop Warner, learning how to play instruments and blossoming into a talented athlete who played basketball in college. He said it was a coach who convinced him to stay in high school. After he graduated from high school he was mostly interested in playing music, and his band starting playing around the eastern half of the country. By the late 1960s, he settled in Daytona Beach and kept playing everything from soft jazz to rock. He used to talk to people in the audience between sets, and one night he met a man named Lee Spence, a Chevrolet car dealer. He started in sales and the rest was history for his professional career, which has put him at the helm of 13 auto franchises and the honoree of the General Motors Dealer of the Year award every year since 2002. His community involvement evolved over the past few decades as well, leading him to become a board member and board chairman of a lengthy list of organizations including Halifax Health Medical Center, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Florida International Festival, the Boys and Girls Club of Volusia and Flagler Counties, the Civic League of the Halifax Area, Volusia Red Cross and United Way. He still sits on some of those boards, and did throughout his term as mayor, a position he never sought. When Yvonne Scarlett-Golden died in December 2006, Ritchey was handpicked to finish out the last year in her term. Extremely busy running his dealerships, he somewhat reluctantly agreed to what he thought would be a one-year commitment. Then at the urging of people impressed with his performance, he agreed in 2007 to run for a full term. Juggling his work and board duties, he managed to become a key member of a city government team that has a list of accomplishments Ritchey compiled into a list that fills three typewritten pages. Many items on that list are there mostly because of Ritchey, including the "road shows" that involve city staffers holding meetings with residents in different parts of town, the Daytona Proud initiative that led to neighborhood cleanups and a code crackdown as well as the vehicles Ritchey provided the city free of charge that allowed police to conduct stakeouts and gave city crews a way to rescue people during the devastating 2009 floods. The generosity of his time and resources goes back to his roots. "I truly do understand the plight of the needy, and how fortunate the more affluent are," he said. "There are times decisions will affect peoples' lifestyles. I've agonized over those decisions." Not everyone agreed with all the votes Ritchey took, including his recent support of a marina project north of the Seabreeze bridge deeply opposed by hundreds of residents in that area. And those who don't care for City Manager Jim Chisholm bristled at Ritchey's refusal to turn on Chisholm. But most people say they still thought he was a good mayor who made himself available to everyone, got deeply involved and got things done. "He's done just an unbelievably great job of bringing the city together," said J. Hyatt Brown, a former Florida House Speaker and board chairman of Brown & Brown insurance agencies, a Daytona Beach-based corporation that last year grossed $1 billion. "He has personally gotten involved, understood what their thoughts are and worked out compromises," said Brown, who's known Ritchey for more than three decades. "That's an admirable, admirable trait." A painting Ritchey keeps on his office wall at Jon Hall Chevrolet on Nova Road reflects that focus on consensus building. The picture shows a council of Native American chiefs sitting in a circle on the ground talking while the rest of the tribe waits nearby. He sees himself as only one of those chiefs, and doesn't take all the credit for the city's accomplishments over the past six years. "The mayor is one vote," Ritchey said. "I've always consulted other people before I make a decision on my own. That's the way our community will move forward." Brown said Ritchey has given back to the community "in spades," but Ritchey remarked recently he could never give enough back. "I've never lost the part about caring about people," Ritchey said. "It wasn't a personal agenda of mine. It was truly what I thought was best for the community." Ritchey said he has no intention of running for higher office, and he's done with politics. He has nine grandkids he wants to get to know better, and a supportive wife, Connie, he's anxious to spend more time with. "It'll be nice to not have every minute of every day committed," he said, noting he had to plan monthly get-togethers with his family to see everyone regularly. But he has no intention of falling below the radar. He said he still plans to stay involved throughout the community. "By no means is he gone," said incoming Mayor Henry, who said he'll call on Ritchey for input from time to time. "He's always had an impact on the community. I don't think his mark is finished. That's just not his style."

"When you get Glenn Ritchey, you get a balanced approach. A lot of people were surprised because they thought he'd just align himself with the business community. ... His crowning achievement is that he respected every person to the fullest extent." — Incoming Mayor Derrick Henry

"He is a gentleman 100 percent in his everyday practice and with government and his business. Glenn Ritchey is one of those people that whatever he does, he does it well." — Larry Kelly, a former Daytona Beach mayor and close friend of Ritchey

"I can tell you firsthand he worked hard to improve the quality of life for Daytona Beach and Volusia County. He had a great vision for the community. He brought the city through a very difficult time and he's leaving a stable government. He was also a catalyst to make things happen with investors." — Outgoing County Chairman Frank Bruno

"You won't find a nicer person. He's as honest as the day is long, he's down to earth and he's an advocate for the community. What really stood out to me is that a guy as busy as he is ... set aside his personal life. It's a quality that's rarer all the time." — County Manager Jim Dinneen

"I think what made him an effective leader is he's a great communicator and he's able to bring people together. I think we've been blessed to have Glenn in that leadership position, and he's laid a great foundation for our future. He's elevated the office." — Lesa France Kennedy, chief executive officer for International Speedway Corp.

"Regardless of what the situation is, Glenn always handles himself with great class and dignity. Even when there's a disagreement, he's always fair to all parities. He does it without leverage, and he does what's best for the community first." — Jeff Feasel, president and CEO of Halifax Health.

"Glenn has just been a phenomenal asset to the CEO Business Alliance in the last two years as we've recruited new industry into town. I anticipate continuing to use him in that capacity. He certainly knows the community and he's the man to have in front." — Kent Sharples, president of the CEO Business Alliance and the former president of Daytona State College

"I think Glenn left the city in good shape. I learned a lot from him. I think he set the bar pretty high for the next mayor." — Zone 5 City Commissioner Patrick Henry, the brother of incoming Mayor Derrick Henry

"I thought Glenn Ritchey's years in office were very productive. Any time we received any complaints or concerns about the needs in our community I was able to go to the mayor and he addressed those concerns in a timely manner. His number was stuck in my cellphone and it will always be there." — Cynthia Slater, president of the Volusia County-Daytona Beach chapter of the NAACP.